SAN ANTONIO, Texas (WordNews.org) Nov. 23, 2012 – A judge has granted The Rutherford Institute’s request for a temporary restraining order that stops a Texas school district from kickingout a student who objected to wearing a “smart” badge that tracks her whereabouts.

The institute filed the petition against Northside independent School District in San Antonio.A district court judge for Bexar County, Texas, sided with the Rutherford Institute request that will allow Andrea Hernandez to remain in school at least for the time being.

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The badges are part of the school’s new “Student Locator Project.” The badges include tiny Radio Frequency Identification (“RFID”) chips that produce a radio signal, enabling school officials to track students’ precise location on school property, the institute said.

Hernandez, a sophomore, said the badges pose a significant religious freedom concern in addition to the obvious privacy issues. Rutherford attorneys filed a petition for a temporary restraining order and immediate injunctive and declaratory relief alleging that the school’s actions violate Andrea’s rights under Texas’ Religious Freedom Act and the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution.

A hearing on the preliminary injunction will take place next week.

“The court’s willingness to grant a temporary restraining order is a good first step, but there is still a long way to go—not just in this case, but dealing with the mindset, in general, that everyone needs to be monitored and controlled,” said John W. Whitehead, president of The Rutherford Institute. “Regimes in the past have always started with the schools, where they develop a compliant citizenry. These ‘Student Locator’ programs are ultimately aimed at getting students used to living in a total surveillance state where there will be no privacy, and wherever you go and whatever you text or email will be watched by the government.”